Chapter 27 The Little Boy

"Come on, just this once. Help me out here," Ricky was saying. The Catter just hissed at him from above, seated comfortably on the ceiling upside down. Ricky's hands went up in surrender as he scratched his head with a sigh.

"Maybe this will change your mind…" he muttered, heading off into the kitchen. The Catter stayed still for a few seconds until its ears twitched. The sound of cabinets being opened and closed caught his attention. It crawled all the way towards the kitchen ceiling where Ricky had already placed a couple of boxes onto the marble slab.

He picked one up and jiggled it. The Catter's ears twitched once more as it jumped down to the floor, landing lightly on his feet. Ricky placed a bowl on the floor, pouring bits of colorful content from out of the boxes. It was a mix of cereal, cookies and candies. He then backed away from the bowl.

The creature slowly inched towards it with caution. Ricky watched as curiosity got the better of the cat and it grabbed a piece, stuffing it into its mouth. Sudden bliss took over its face as it chewed. Sweetened flavors filled its mouth and it reached out for more, stuffing its face as much as possible.

"I'm hoping you'll change your mind… There's more where that came from."

Very slowly, Ricky approached the creature, crouching down beside him.

"So, how about it? You let me go to where Cheryl is, and you can have all of these," he said, gesturing with his hands towards the many boxes of treats on the slab.

The Catter's blue eyes seemed to grow larger as they fixated on the treats above. It then glanced at Ricky, taking a few steps back and opened its mouth. The mouth extended till it was large enough to fit a person through. Heavy wind thrashed at Ricky's face as he squinted.

"Thanks," he nodded before stepping into the darkness.

.

Young Dixon grabbed Cheryl's hand as they made a run for it. A giant snake with white luminous eyes slithered after them, making the ground tremble under its weight.

"That thing's pretty mad!" said the boy.

"Where are we going?" Cheryl asked, raising her voice to be heard over the rumble.

"To the pit! You said you had to find someone!"

All of a sudden, the snake whipped its tail, curving it around to block their path entirely. Young Dixon halted with a jerk, turning around to look back at the creature.

"We're trapped! I'll just have to beat this guy to a pulp. We have no other choice!" With that, he began to march forward, only to be pulled back by the collar.

"I know you're reckless, but only do that when you're older. Stay behind me," Cheryl said, pulling him back further. A pair of white eyes floated towards her, appearing from out of the darkness. It made her skin crawl as she started towards them.

"Wait, watch out for-" young Dixon was saying.

Sparks poured out of her body, lighting the way ahead. She skipped over the lump of rocks in the way, leaving a trail of sparks behind. The snake hissed at her, right before lunging in for an attack with its mouth wide open. In the light, for the first time she noticed the giant fangs sticking out of its gums, drooling out a purple, sticky liquid. Her body moved on its own, out of reflex, rising into the air to dodge. The creature's mouth crashed to the ground, digging into the dirt. Once again, she couldn't see a thing as she stumbled back with her landing.

"Behind you!" the boy was shouting from somewhere. Cheryl whirled around and squinted into the darkness. It was impossible to detect anything more than a foot away from her radius. Regardless, she took a step back. Goosebumps rose up her arms.

A second later, a giant wall hit her in the face. She had just enough time to shield herself before being thrown to one side. Her body rolled over in the dirt till it slowed to a stop. She groaned as she lay there, feeling a wave of nausea hit her. Pain coiled around, grasping at her muscles. She breathed out heavily, feeling disoriented in the darkness.

With her ears to the ground, she could hear someone running up to her.

"Run away…" she murmured.

The person stopped right next to her. She felt a cold hand over her forehead. She gasped, swiping at the hand but his voice made her freeze.

"Stay down…" Ricky whispered. She frowned at him, not believing at first.

"You okay?" he asked to which Cheryl nodded.

"How…?" she asked. A sense of relief flooded through her, followed by guilt. She had left him stranded back at the house, without realizing the danger she was throwing herself at.

"It's too dark. Why would you rush into a fight?" He was saying. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice which she felt she deserved. All of a sudden, a loud screech tore through the air. Both their heads snapped towards the sound. It was followed by a rumble as the pair of glowing eyes approached, floating towards them.

"Run! It's coming this way!" Cheryl panicked.

Ricky calmly observed the creature, placing a steady hand on the ground. Cheryl wore a face of surprise as she watched. An electric web of sparks extended from under his palm, stretching out to cover a large area of the ground. The snake jerked back, startled by the sudden surge of light.

"There you are…" he said. The ring of yellow around his pupils sparkled in the darkness. It was even more vibrant without his spectacles. He placed a second hand onto the ground. The creature's eyes went wide as the sparks ran all over its slender body, wrapping around it like a wire. It wiggled in a panic, struggling to loosen out of it but the sparks lit up.

Cheryl felt hot all of a sudden, as if the air had turned humid. The creature writhed in pain, screeching out with the last of its breath. Cheryl pushed herself up straight. She watched it slump down with massive force enough to make the ground quake. Clouds of dust erupted all around. Ricky let out a breath he had been holding, retrieving his hands.

"How did you do that without being able to see?" Cheryl asked.

"I used my head. It's something you need to learn to do more often," Ricky retorted, eyeing her disappointedly. He helped her up, pulling on her arm.

"Wait! Where's Dixon?" Cheryl gasped, as if just remembering. "Dixon!" she called out.

"You found him?" Ricky asked, sounding amazed for a brief moment. That was until he heard the reply of a little boy with a frail, thin voice.

"Over here!"

"Who is that?" Ricky asked, following Cheryl who just marched on ahead with haste.

.

"You seem far more desperate than last time," Iris smiled.

"I have run out of heirs. If my kids die… then it's all over. The shadow realm will crumble," the shadow king spoke with a hint of remorse.

"Where are you hiding him? Your son?" Iris took a step forward. "I will gladly end this once and for all."

"I've sent him to a place far away. He won't be able to interfere when I kill you once more."

Meryl just stared awkwardly at the two lashing out at each other verbally.

"Pss…" The sound rang in her ears. Her head jerked towards the empty space beside her.

"Meryl…" came another whisper. Her heart almost jumped in surprise.

"Jonathan? Is that you?" she whispered back with hope.

Iris's eyes suddenly wandered over to the empty spot. Her eyebrow twitched upwards, right before the imitation was thrown off his feet.

"You stay out of this," Iris said nonchalantly. There was a sound as the imitation hit the floor.

"Shadows! Attack!" The king ordered without a second's delay. He raised his arms into the air. Within that instant, an army of shadows melted in from the walls, drooping down like sludge. Meryl winced as one of them dropped to the floor beside her. It was the shape of a giant leech. More fell over her shoulders and she let out a scream she'd been holding for a while. Her body moved on its own, racing towards Iris, undetected behind all the shadows raining down around her.

"Now, take her powers, Merylin!"

The leeches extended their heads like a snake about to attack. Iris caught one closing in through her peripheral vision. Within seconds, the thing exploded, its bits and pieces melting in with the rest of the shadows. Meryl closed in from behind her, both leeches sticking out of her arms, reaching for her back.

"No, Iris, look out!" Meryl screamed, instantly alerting the girl.

"You fool!" the shadow king uttered.

Iris half turned, only to blow her back, tearing the leeches off of her arms. Meryl shrieked out in pain, having a patch of the shadow skin being ripped off. She fell backwards onto the white lined floor.

"You will suffer no more…" the words escaped Iris's mouth as she took a step towards her with an emotionless face.

Meryl gave her a pleading look, tears streaming down in an endless manner.

"Wh-what do you mean… Iris… w-w-what're you-"

Her words were cut short as more shadow skin tore out of her body. Her skin had gone pink underneath, having been glued to an external layer. Meryl bit her teeth as bit by bit all the shadows left her skin, leaving her body burning.

"Now, you…"

Meryl crawled backwards, having quickly gained control over her body. She watched with a frightened expression as the little girl she'd been taking care of for the past month looked down at her with dead eyes. Behind her, she could see the shadow king raise his hands. Shadows converged in his palms, forming the shape of a giant ax suited to his stature.

The king roared like a beast as he dashed towards Iris. White lines all of a sudden moved to shield her from behind. As the blade came down with great force, the white threads remained intact. Iris turned around with a smile.

"So you're finally ready to fight me," she told him in a mocking manner.

More shadows converged into the blade making it thicker, heavier. The smile on her face faded as she noticed the threads bending under its weight. She jumped back just in time before the king slashed through the shield, the blade crashing to the ground.

"Don't forget who I am… I am the King-!"

He was just saying that when more threads emerged from the ground, wrapping around the ax in a geometric pattern. He tugged at it, not being able to budge. He flashed a wicked smile. Iris frowned at him. Not long before more leeches fell from the ceiling, directly onto her back. Her tiny body heaved under the weight and hit the floor. They bit into her skin, sucking out her power.

Meryl reached for her out of worry but someone grabbed her hand. She looked up at Jon standing there, with his legs partially trembling.

"Don't… That's not Iris, I can tell you that much. Let's just get out of here."

He helped her up, just as Iris threw the leeches into the air, making each of them explode on impact. Jonathan almost jumped back, startled to his core. He lost his grip on Meryl's arm and she limped forward without consent.

"Wait," he called but she was already doing it.

"Both of you, stop it! Why in the world are you two fighting anyway?"

All heads turned towards her.

"She's out for revenge and will continue to do so until she is dead!" The king warned, picking up his ax once more, readying his battle pose.

"Stay out of this… and I might just spare you," Iris's words were sharp but determined.

Anger flared through Meryl's nostrils as she looked down at her.

"No, because apparently I'm already involved somehow. Look, I don't know who you are but bring back sweet little Iris. She did nothing wrong!"

"You will see her once this is all over…. if you live, that is." Iris's uninterested response left her speechless. She watched as the two faced each other once more. The king raised his ax, marching towards her with full force, leaving a trail of shadows bubbling behind. It was at that moment, her feet moved without her realization. Within seconds she had moved in between them, without anyone controlling her this time. She had her back towards Iris as she looked up at the heavy blade swing down in front of her eyes. Her heart raced to a stop.

.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Ricky asked, following blindly behind a child who could apparently see fine in the dark.

"Just because you're blind, doesn't mean I am too," young Dixon retorted, leading the way.

"You little…" Ricky could feel a nerve pounding at the side of his temple. Cheryl squeezed his arm.

"He's just a kid…" she whispered to him.

"Yeah yeah..." he rolled his eyes.

"Aaand we're here," young Dixon announced, then turned to face them. "But how're you gonna get down there without being able to see?"

Ricky smirked, crouching down to touch the ground. A series of electric webs emerged from under his palm, stretching out across the terrain. The line of sparks immediately extended downwards into the pit, lighting the way inside.

"I wish I could do that…" Cheryl muttered.

"Me too," replied young Dixon, watching Ricky climb down using the web for support. He paused to look up.

"Are you coming or not?" he sounded awfully irritated.

"I guess this is goodbye for now, Dixon. Stay safe," Cheryl told him as she jumped in after Ricky.